Hello, my “Walking with Jesus” friends on this New Years Eve,
How are you planning to spend the last hours of 2025? When this chapter of your life is complete and years from now you might be reminiscing, how will you remember 2025? I wonder what the highlights and lowlights, the most exciting and most discouraging events of your 2025 have been?
Most importantly: how have you seen Jesus working in your life journey this year? How much better do you know Jesus today than you did one year ago?
In our “Grand Narrative” journey through God’s story, the Bible, we’ve just begun walking along with Jesus in the New Testament. We remember Joseph and Mary settled in Mary’s little hometown of Nazareth after returning from their exile in Egypt, after fleeing Bethlehem when they had been warned by an angel that King Herod was determined to kill the Bethlehem babies. (Matt. 2)
Yesterday we looked at Jesus’ first invitation calling James and his brother John; Andrew and his brother Simon Peter; to follow Jesus and become fishers of men. (Mark 1:17-39)
About that same time, it seems Jesus returned to Nazareth, perhaps to visit His mother and family. On the Sabbath, of course the men went to the Nazareth Synagogue and there, that day, something unexpected happened, which was another defining moment in the life of Jesus and in God’s Grand Narrative story. Dr. Luke is the only Gospel writer who gives us this story in Luke 4:14-30.
When the moment came for the Torah reading that Sabbath, Jesus was invited to do the honors. Perhaps you know that the weekly Torah reading follows a prescribed pattern so that every Jewish Synagogue in the world is reading the very same Torah passage on any given Sabbath.
We don’t know if Jesus had timed His visit to Nazareth so He could read this specific Isaiah passage or, as Luke describes it: “Unrolling the scroll, Jesus found the place where it is written: ‘The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me because He has anointed Me to proclaim the good news…” (Luke 4:17,18)
That tells me Jesus knew exactly which Old Testament passage He wanted to read in His hometown on that Sabbath. Can you imagine why? Jesus was about to declare Himself to be the living fulfillment of one of Israel’s most cherished prophecies about the Messiah, Isaiah 61:1-4. In fact, as Jesus completed the reading He said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21)
If Jesus had stopped right, there and sat down there would have been some confusion but I believe most people would have let it slide. Why do I suggest that? Because Luke says this: “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?’ they asked?” (Luke 4:22)
We all do that don’t we? We give our friends the benefit of the doubt even if they do or say something stupid, maybe even something offensive.
But Jesus did not stop there and the next words He spoke made it very clear; He was NOT Joseph’s son and never had been. He was the God sent fulfillment of Isaiah 61, the Messiah! He said to those who knew Him well in His hometown Synagogue: “You will say to Me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum. Truly I tell you no prophet is accepted in his hometown…” (Luke 4:23-27) And Jesus went on to describe famous prophets of old who were led by God away from their hometowns to preach God’s message and do God’s miracles in other towns.
Smiles turned to scowls in the Synagogue. Brows furrowed, old men began stroking their beards, mumbling could be heard rising up all across the Synagogue. Jesus was making His case and these who had known him as a little boy in Nazareth refused to believe it could be true. In their estimation there is no way the Messiah would come from Nazareth and certainly He could not be this man they had watched grow up here, Jesus!
And very quickly rumbling turned to anger and then suddenly, the Synagogue in Nazareth erupted as the men rushed at Jesus and He ran out the door. Luke writes: “All the people in the Synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up and drove Jesus out of their town and took Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built in order to throw him off the cliff. But He walked right through the crowd and went on His way.” (Luke 4:28-30)
I’ve often wondered if Mary, hearing the ruckus, came running toward the Synagogue and watched as the men chased her son Jesus out of town? Were Simeon’s words, from that day of dedication in the Temple with 40-day old infant Jesus, coming true in Nazareth? Do you remember? Simeon had said to Mary: “This child is destined to cause the rising and falling of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:34,35)
3 years later, as Mary watched from the crowd in Jerusalem when Jews cried out for Jesus to be crucified, and then as Mary stood at the foot of the cross-watching Jesus die… was she remembering this Nazareth day when Jesus was violently rejected by the men of His hometown, beginning in a Synagogue worship service?
Let’s pause right here. As far as we know, Jesus never returned to His home in Nazareth after this day. Nazareth had not only rejected Jesus the son of Mary, that day they rejected Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God!
As you and I prepare, this evening, to close each of our personal 2025 stories, how will we do that? Will Jesus be honored in the manner in which we finish ’25 and begin ’26? What is our intention for our relationship with Jesus in 2026 and how will we begin that tomorrow?
I urge you to find time with Jesus this evening, finishing ’25 with nothing left unresolved. And enter 2026 with your heart and hands wide open to all Jesus wants to accomplish IN your life and through YOU for God’s glory!
Final “lessons learned” notes for 2025 are in the “Grand Narrative” link below as is a link for one final worship song in ’25, and my friends, I’ll be here ready to begin ’26 with you tomorrow!
Today’s Scripture: Luke 4:14-30.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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